The death of former President Desi Bouterse has elicited varied reactions and emotions in Suriname, a country where he exerted influence for over 40 years. While his supporters mourn and prepare for a grand funeral today and tomorrow, survivors and relatives of past atrocities are still traumatized.
Less known than the notorious December murders of 1982 is the massacre on November 29, 1986, in the village of Moiwana in Eastern Suriname. Soldiers from the National Army, led by Bouterse at the time, entered the village and killed 39 villagers, including pregnant women and children.
The perpetrators were never punished. The trauma remains deeply rooted in the lives of survivors and relatives, such as 68-year-old Gari, who narrowly escaped death.
The incident occurred during the Surinamese Interior War from 1986 to 1992, between Bouterse’s army and his former bodyguard, Ronnie Brunswijk, leader of the Jungle Commando. Soldiers reportedly sought Brunswijk based on information that he was in the village.
“But there were no Jungle Commando members there, only unarmed villagers. We fled through the forest with children for two days,” says Gari.
Many survivors ended up in neighboring French Guiana, where a large community from Moiwana still resides. In 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights condemned Suriname for the massacre, requiring compensation for victims’ relatives and the prosecution of perpetrators.
Former President Ronald Venetiaan apologized in 2007, but no military personnel have been punished. “I don’t hold Bouterse personally responsible; he was in Paramaribo,” says Gari.
“But as leader, he couldn’t prevent it. Soldiers should have seen they weren’t dealing with Jungle Commando members but civilians.” Gari and many relatives wish to rebury their loved ones’ remains at the old village site.
After the massacre, the bodies were buried in a mass grave by the Jungle Commando and later exhumed for investigation in Paramaribo. “We want them buried here at home,” Gari states.
Artist Marcel Pinas, from the area, created a monument in memory of Moiwana. He believes Bouterse should have been punished for the events.
“There has been much suffering, but we must rebuild our area ourselves. Through art, I try to give people a voice to help process their trauma.”
Source: NOS